Mission Impossible
by megan1300
Summary: AU. When Az and DG are kidnapped by a terrorist organization, it's Cain Private Investigations to the rescue.
1. Prologue

**Title:** Mission Impossible  
**Chapter: **Prologue  
**Characters/Pairings:** DG/Cain, Az/Zero  
**Spoilers/Warning:** PG-13... so far  
**Summary: **AU. When DG and Az are abducted by a terrorist organization, it's Cain Private Investigations to the rescue.  
**Disclaimer: **Tin Man and all its characters belong to Sci-Fi, RHI Entertainment, NBC Universal Television. The Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum. I'm just doing a bit of borrowing.  
**Author's Note:** Wherein - the beginning of the end. Dun dun dunnnn...

* * *

"I blame you."

"Moi?" DG scoffed. "How is this my fault?"

"You're the one who wanted to go out for a walk," Azkadellia said, glaring at her little sister. She stood up quickly and closed the distance from one side of the small cell to the other in seven steps. "Well Deege, you've got free reign in here. Have at it."

DG frowned at her sister as she continually paced back and forth. It really hadn't been her fault. Honestly. All she'd wanted to do was get away from those damned, stuffy courtiers for a little while. It wasn't bad enough that her parents were trying to sell Az off to the highest bidder, but the fact they were pushing Az's discards on _her_ was just too much. After that squat little prince with the huge nose from Id had tried to feel her up for the third time she'd had enough. It wasn't her fault Azkadellia had joined her and it sure as hell wasn't her fault they'd been captured by… By someone. They still weren't quite sure who was holding them prisoner.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" DG asked snottily as Azkadellia finally ceased pacing and reclaimed her place on one of the two cots they'd been provided with. Even in this dirty cell, her sister was able to remain regal and graceful.

"Nothing," Azkadellia snorted. "We're princesses."

"Ah." DG nodded knowingly and sat back against the cold stone wall. "The old Wait To Be Rescued By Prince Charming trick."

Azkadellia grinned. "Exactly."

* * *

"You have the right to shut the hell up. Anything you say will be used against you in a court of law… I promise."

Cain looked up at his partner. "Zero, be nice."

"This guy tried to smuggle a crate of pixies to the Other Side," Zero said, rolling his eyes. He readjusted his knee so that it was digging just that much more into the criminal's lower back and tightened the cuffs around the man's wrists. "And you're the one that took this job. I wanted to take the Jacobi case, remember?"

Cain nodded as he watched Zero roughly jerk the criminal to his feet. Zero was right, of course. The Jacobi case would have been cake, but Cain was utterly tired of dealing with petty criminals. Ever since he and Zero opened the doors to their private investigation practice five years before Cain had been up to his pretty blue eyes in robbers and thugs. He was ready for something different, and when one of the Queen's lieutenants had asked him to quietly investigate the pixie trade he'd jumped. It may have taken more time and effort than their usual gigs, but seeing the look on that smuggler's face when Zero had jumped on his back from the roof had been worth the weeks of physical and emotional exhaustion.

"You can choose the next case," Cain muttered as Zero pushed the restrained man into the wagon.

"Really?" Zero asked hopefully as he slammed the barred door shut. He rounded the backside of the wagon and eased his back against his horse, Blitz. "Then we should begin casing Fast Freddy's Exotic Dance Hall as soon as possible."

"I take that back," Cain said, his eyebrows narrowing in annoyance. "You can _help_ choose the next case."

Zero shrugged. "Whatever."

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	2. Chapter 1

**Title:** Mission Impossible  
**Chapter: **Chapter 1  
**Characters/Pairings:** DG/Cain, Az/Zero  
**Spoilers/Warning:** PG-13... so far  
**Summary: **AU. When DG and Az are abducted by a terrorist organization, it's Cain Private Investigations to the rescue.  
**Disclaimer: **Tin Man and all its characters belong to Sci-Fi, RHI Entertainment, NBC Universal Television. The Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum. I'm just doing a bit of borrowing.  
**Author's Note: **I had a few questions about exactly how AU this story is. It takes place around the same time as the series, but there was never a witch and DG grew up in the O.Z. The main difference is in Zero's age. I wrote him younger than he's portrayed in the series because... Well, he's more funny that way.

* * *

Tuesday mornings were usually slow at Cain Private Investigations. Loose ends and paperwork tended be to tied up Monday afternoon and most of the time no new cases were brought in until Wednesday or Thursday. This Tuesday, however, would go down in history as The Day They Landed The Big One.

The day started off typically enough. Zero waltzed in sometime around mid-morning sporting a nasty shiner and the same clothes he'd left in the night before. Cain, used to this kind of entrance, gave him hell for ten minutes or so before realizing his partner was mouthing every word of his lecture from memory.

"You know," Cain growled, annoyed, "I'm getting really tired of dealing with your bullshit all the damn time-"

"If you weren't my brother-in-law I would have fired your ass a long time ago," Zero mimicked Cain. He rolled his eyes and kicked his feet up on top of his desk. "That stopped being an excuse the day my sister left you."

Cain glared at Zero.

"You know she was at my mother's last night for dinner?" Zero said conversationally. "I think Jeb is almost as tall as me now."

"Oh," Cain said, softening slightly at the mention of his son. After he'd been let go from the Tin Men for the excessive use of his pistol, he and Adora had hit a rough patch that they just hadn't been able to claw their way out of. Adora eventually filed for divorce and he'd coped by throwing all his time and energy into his business; leaving too few chances to see his son. "He's doing well?"

"Yeah." Zero grinned slyly. "He gets along great with Doug."

Cain looked up from his case file suspiciously. "Doug?"

"Adora's boyfriend." More than anything in the world, Zero loved to rile Cain up. Watching his partner explode brought more joy to the younger man than a case of booze and twenty free hookers ever could. The vein on Cain's forehead began pulsating and Zero went in for the kill with delight. "He's one of the youngest lieutenants in the Royal Guard."

Just when Cain was about to have a major meltdown, the bell signaling a client chimed. Zero instantly hopped to his feet and jogged to the front of the building where the front desk was located. He was still snickering when he slid behind the front desk and smiled brilliantly at the man in front of him.

"How can I help you?" Zero asked, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous muttonchops covering the sides of the man's face.

"Is this Cain Private Investigations?" Muttonchops asked.

Very slowly, Zero leaned over the desk and peered at the sign with 'CAIN PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS: CASH ONLY' written in large green letters. He pulled himself back and nodded pointedly. "I think you might have the right place."

The man in front of him was obviously not amused. "You took down the pixie smuggling ring, correct?"

"Yes Sir," Zero said proudly. "I just signed for their bonds this morning."

"You also do bail bonds?" Muttonchops looked skeptical.

Zero shrugged. "We dabble here and there."

Muttonchops blinked. "I have a job for you; one that requires the utmost secrecy."

"Do go on," Zero said, interest piqued.

"Three nights ago Princesses Azkadellia and Dorthia were kidnapped from the palace grounds," Muttonchops said.

"How do you know they didn't leave on their own accord?" Zero asked, his mind whirling. Cain was going to absolutely _shit_ when he got wind of this one. "What if they just took off for a few days?"

"We received this," Muttonchops handed a folded paper to Zero, "early yesterday morning. It's a ransom note from a terrorist organization taking refuge in Merryland. They've-"

"Whoa," Zero held his hands up in the air after skimming the letter. "These people aren't terrorists. They're animal rights activists."

"They're a very deadly terrorist organization," Muttonchops said through clenched teeth. "And if you read the letter further you would see that they're planning to hold the princesses until the week is out and we either give them what they want, or they kill them and broadcast their deaths on public radio."

"What are their demands?" Zero asked, not able to keep a straight face. "Puppies and rainbows and sunshine?"

"They want twenty million platinums and the Queen's support in all future political endeavors," Muttonchops said, promptly silencing Zero. "They want her to appoint their officials into top government positions so they can work the system from the inside."

"So they don't want puppies and rainbows and sunshine?"

"Is there someone else I can talk to?" Muttonchops demanded, frustrated. "Someone who will take these threats a little more seriously?"

"No, you're right," Zero sobered and straightened professionally. "But isn't this something the Tin Men or Royal Guard should be taking care of?"

Muttonchops shook his head. "This was my idea. I wanted a small but competent agency that wouldn't attract attention. Lieutenant Hastings had nothing but good things to say about Cain Investigations."

Zero nodded approvingly. "Why don't you follow me to the back so we can hammer out the rest of the details?"

After Muttonchops had briefed them on the specifics of the abduction and left, Cain and Zero had promptly began discussing a strategy for the rescue.

"We'll have to go through Munchkin Country," Cain said, sighing at the large map he'd spread out on the floor. Muttonchops had explained that the terrorists holding the princesses had taken sanctuary in Merryland and, unfortunately for Cain and Zero, the most direct route was through Munchkin Country and The Shifting Sands.

Zero crouched down beside him and eyed the path Cain had laid out. "But there are munchkins in Munchkin Country."

"Really, Zero?" Cain rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"They're hostile," Zero defended, jabbing his index finger in Cain's face. "Those ankle-biters tried to cut my fingers off, remember?"

"They had spoons," Cain said incredulously.

"Sharp spoons," Zero yelped. He turned his attention back to the map and traced a line north of Cain's. "We can go northwest through Gilliken and The Impassable Desert then cut west into Merryland. It's the safest passage possible."

"It'll take too much time." Cain shook his head. "We only have five days until those princesses are executed. Look, we can skirt the edge of the territory and as long as we aren't spotted by tree dwellers we'll be just fine."

Zero's eyes continued skimming the map for the next few minutes, trying desperately to find another way into Merryland, but even he had to admit that Cain was right. There was no way they would get there in time if they didn't cut through Munchkin Country and since they still weren't one-hundred percent sure where the princesses were being held time was even more of the essence.

"You ready?" Cain asked, throwing Zero his rucksack. "We need to get a move on before noon if we want to make it into Munchkin Country before dark."

"Yeah, yeah," Zero muttered unhappily as he sifted through the pack.

"Everything's in there," Cain called as he checked the barrel of his gun. He stuffed the gun into its holster and pulled the closed sign out of his desk drawer. After making sure the office was shut tight and the closed sign was visible in the window, Cain wrapped a long chain around the door handle and padlocked it in place.

"You know that little lock isn't going to keep someone _out_ who really wants _in_?" Zero asked, eyebrows raised impudently. "All they have to do is throw a brick through the window."

"Zero." Cain clenched his teeth and, instead of exploding like usual, he silently counted to ten. "Just, keep your mouth shut for a while, will ya?"

Zero shrugged noncommittally before turning to Blitz. Cain watched the other man suspiciously for a moment or two and then started tethering his rucksack and sleeping bag to Esme's saddlebags. Ten minutes later, Cain swung onto Esme's back, clucked his tongue, and started towards Merryland.

* * *

"I spy with my little eye…" DG pursed her lips and peered around the stark cell. "Something green."

Azkadellia breathed out through her nose, annoyed. "Is it my dress?"

"Yes," DG said bluntly. "I spy with my little eye… Something grey."

"The wall?" Azkadellia asked through clenched teeth.

"Yes. I spy with-"

"Okay," Azkadellia yelled, jumping up suddenly from her seat on the cot. "If I have to hear you spy something with your little eye one more time I'm going to rip off my own ears. Screw Prince Charming, we're getting ourselves the hell out of here."

DG grinned. Finally.

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	3. Chapter 2

**Title:** Mission Impossible  
**Chapter: **Two  
**Characters/Pairings:** DG/Cain, Az/Zero  
**Spoilers/Warning:** PG-13... so far  
**Summary: **AU. When DG and Az are abducted by a terrorist organization, it's Cain Private Investigations to the rescue.  
**Disclaimer: **Tin Man and all its characters belong to Sci-Fi, RHI Entertainment, NBC Universal Television. The Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum. I'm just doing a bit of borrowing.  
**Author's Note: **In which they locate Merryville and Zero 'interrogates' a barmaid.

"It's hot."

"Shut up Zero," Cain mumbled.

"But it's hot, Cain," Zero shouted, his nose scrunched in a pout. He let his head loll from side to side as Blitz's hooves sank into the deep sand. "I'm-" Zero's mouth snapped shut when Cain turned and pulled his gun on him in one fluid motion. The younger man glared at his partner and pouted, "You're an asshole."

"No," Cain spat, "you're an asshole. Now shut up so I can think."

Cain let out a frustrated sigh and turned forward in his saddle. Usually, travelers could easily traverse the whole desert in less than six hours. Cain and Zero, however, had run into a sand storm about halfway through and three hours later were still trying to find their bearings.

And it's not like the sandstorm had been the only obstacle they'd run into since they'd started their journey two days before. Oh no. The night before their campsite had been attacked by rebel munchkins. Not that they'd had a chance to do any damage. No, the damage came after the munchkins had been gagged and tied to a tree. In fact, the damage actually came when Cain had bent over to interrogate the shortest of the munchkins and wound up throwing his back out. Zero had laughed so hard he cried.

"Cain!"

"Zero, if you don't stop whining I'm going to-"

"No, look."

Cain turned in the direction Zero was pointing and sighed in relief when he caught sight of the tree line. To be honest, he was starting to think he was going to die in the middle of the damned desert with _Zero_ of all people.

"You were saying?" Zero sneered as he spurred Blitz to a slow trot.

Cain gritted his teeth and urged Esme to keep up with Blitz. After a few minutes they broke free of the gritty sand and rode silently into lightly wooded area.

"You think this is Merryland?" Zero asked, swiveling his head from side to side to get a good look at his surroundings.

"It seems familiar," Cain said slowly. He'd been to Merryland once with his father when he was a child. After he'd used his slingshot to shoot the rump of the horse his father's most important client was riding, successfully throwing the man off, he hadn't been invited on anymore business trips. "We don't have these types of trees in the O.Z."

"Maybe we should find a city or town?" Zero suggested. "At least then we can figure out where we are."

"Good idea," Cain agreed and dug his heels into Esme's side.

They rode in silence (_thank Ozma,_ Cain thought) until they entered a small town about a half-hour east of where they'd come out of the desert. It was obvious from the moment they spotted it that the town was abandoned. Cain frowned and kept his eyes peeled as they rode through the center of town and finally came to a stop outside of what had been the local pub.

He swung down from Esme and cautiously pushed the rotting doors to the pub open, his hand on his revolver, but the pub was just as empty as the street they'd just ridden down. From the looks of it, however, whoever had been here had left in quite a hurry. Tables were overturned, glasses lay shattered on the floor, and the distinct metallic scent of blood hung in the air. Cain didn't like it one bit.

Zero, on the other hand, happily hopped over the bar and grabbed two bottles of whiskey off the shelf. He stuffed one into the waistband of his cargo pants and uncorked the other. "You want?"

Cain shook his head.

Zero shrugged and threw back a long swig.

While Zero acquainted himself with the bottle of whiskey, Cain walked around the perimeter of the room trying to find some clue as to where they were. After a few moments he found an abandoned newspaper and held it up for Zero to see.

"It's dated three weeks ago," Cain said, skimming the front page. "But it's the Merryville Chronicle."

"Hey," Zero grinned, "we're in the right country."

Cain grunted and crinkled the paper in his hands. He looked up at Zero and nodded. "Well, let's get moving. We've got a long way to go and not much time to get there."

Zero rolled his eyes. He hated when Cain tried to be clever.

Once in Merryville's capitol, it didn't take long for Cain and Zero to find an inn for the next two nights and after they'd taken a quick nap (Zero was not happy to be sleeping on the floor) they began to formulate a plan. First and foremost, they needed to find out where the Organization for Animal Liberation (OFAL) had set up their base of operations.

"It can't be too far out of town," Zero observed as the bartender slid two large, frosty mugs of beer across the counter. Zero caught them both on reflex. He eyed each mug, trying to find out which held less and then passed it to Cain. "For an organization to be that large and successful they can't be based too far from an industrious city."

"You're right." Cain nodded and took a sip from his mug. "From what I gather, most of the members are only volunteers."

"That means they need to make money outside the organization." Zero caught sight of an attractive blonde barmaid and smiled at her lazily. "And if they're making it, they're spending it."

"You think we should just ask around?" Cain asked. It wasn't such a bad idea really. If anyone knew where OFAL's headquarters were located, it would be the locals. Hell, they might even get lucky and run into an actual member.

Zero shrugged. "Do you have a better idea?"

Twenty minutes later, Zero had somehow managed to sweet talk the barmaid into spilling absolutely everything she knew about OFAL. Turns out they'd hit the jackpot with her, as she was the daughter of OFAL's second in command. Apparently OFAL had branched out from trying to save the planet's furry friends and were now in it for their own species. Political power had become the name of the game and the princesses were their ace in the hole.

"They won't kill both of them," the barmaid had giggled, mesmerized by the look of adoration Zero was throwing at her. "Then they would have two dead princesses and be no better off."

"You think they'll kill one to show they're serious and hold the other until her parents give into their demands?" Cain asked, earning a small look of annoyance from the barmaid.

"So where is this place located?" Zero asked and lightly dragged the barmaid's chin back in his direction with his index finger. He smiled and raised his eyebrows, prompting her.

She looked slightly suspicious now. "Why do you want to know so much about OFAL?"

"We're interested in joining." Zero cocked his head and let his gaze dip from her eyes to her cleavage and back again. "_Really_ interested in joining."

"You're just getting in?" Cain asked testily the following morning as Zero slipped into their small room.

Zero shrugged and shut the door. "I wanted to sleep in a bed."

"Oh, right," Cain scoffed. "I'm sure you were _sleeping_ in that girl's bed."

"There was some sleeping involved," Zero said, smirking. "Among other things."

Cain rolled his eyes. "Did you at least get OFAL's location out of her?"

"It's about ten miles east of here," Zero explained with a nod. "She said it's surrounded on three sides by a dense forest, with the back facing out over a deep cliff. Apparently, it used to house a small sector of Merryville's army reserves but OFAL bought it from the Merryville government four years ago. It's a tight compound with a central command center and several smaller buildings used for storage and barracks."

"Several?" Cain asked curiously. "How many is several?"

"She didn't say," Zero told him. "But I don't think we'll have too much trouble locating the princesses."

"And why is that?"

"There's a small cluster of cells located in the basement of the command center." Zero pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Cain. "I dug _that_ out of her dresser."

"Zero," Cain chuckled as he peered down at the blueprints he'd been handed, "if I didn't know what that ugly mug of yours was getting up to last night, I'd kiss you. Come on. Let's get going."

"I've got a question," Zero said a few minutes later as they were repacking their rucksacks. "Why are evil hideouts always on the side of cliffs?"

"What?"

"Evil hideouts are _always_ on the side of cliffs," Zero reiterated with a scowl. "I mean, really? Where's the creativity in that? Their lack of imagination astounds me."

He knew he would regret it, but Cain couldn't help himself from blurting out, "And what would you suggest as an alternative?"

Zero contemplated the question for a moment before responding, his expression serious, with, "A massive Tower of Doom."

_Yep_, Cain thought as Zero launched into his Tower of Doom theory, _should have kept my mouth shut_.


	4. Chapter 3

**Title:** Mission Impossible  
**Chapter: **Three  
**Characters/Pairings:** DG/Cain, Az/Zero  
**Spoilers/Warning:** PG-13... so far  
**Summary: **AU. When DG and Az are abducted by a terrorist organization, it's Cain Private Investigations to the rescue.  
**Disclaimer: **Tin Man and all its characters belong to Sci-Fi, RHI Entertainment, NBC Universal Television. The Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum. I'm just doing a bit of borrowing.  
**Author's Note:** The girls deliver some serious whoop-ass.

* * *

Azkadellia eyed their captors warily from her perch on the cot. There were three of them - two big, one small – sitting around a card table that had been set up for them to play the OZ's version of poker. The smallest of the guards was a squirrely little man with a mop of red hair and a baby face. He couldn't have been more than eighteen annuals old and they planned to exploit his naivety first. They would tackle the two larger guards next. Both Tiny Guard and Little Guard (because _all_ huge people had little people nicknames) were big, burly men obviously only hired for their bulging muscles and, if they moved quick enough, DG and Azkadellia were somewhat confident they could win in a match against them.

Azkadellia fidgeted nervously and shifted her gaze to her sister. She watched as DG twirled her finger and the last of the screws they'd librated fell into her sister's palm. DG surveyed the wall of iron bars for a moment before deciding her handiwork was acceptable and then turned to Azkadellia and saluted her with a nod.

"Sir?" Azkadellia called softly and went to the door of their cell. She grinned inwardly when the baby-faced guard automatically looked up at her. "Can you please bring me a glass of water? I'm positively parched."

The man (_boy_, really) wasted no time obeying the sultry princess' request; he nearly knocked his chair backwards in his mad dash for the faucet. He returned to her in mere seconds and pushed the paper cup between the bars.

"Oh thank you," Azkadellia gushed as she delicately grabbed the cup from him. She took a sip of the water and then lowered the cup to her side, gazing steadily at the boy as she did so. "What's your name?"

The boy's eyes widened. "I'm Ted."

"Well Ted," Azkadellia whispered huskily as she reached through the bars and took his hand in hers. Ted blushed as she brought his hand to her chest. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

And then she yanked as hard as she could on his arm. Poor Ted flew forward, his forehead smacking against the metal bars with a resounding 'clang'. Azkadellia let go of his hand as he crumpled to the ground and stepped back, feigning horror, as the sudden scrape of chairs being pushed back could be heard throughout the small cell.

"What happened?"

Azkadellia shrugged innocently as Tiny and Little bent down to check on Ted. "I haven't a clue. He just fell."

DG suddenly flew past her sister and flung herself against the metal bars. The wall creaked and wobbled for a few seconds before suddenly falling forward at an agonizingly slow rate, causing DG to groan. If it had worked as they'd planned, the wall of heavy metal would have knocked out at least one of the still conscious guards; however, the sluggish slump of the bars gave both of them a chance to clear the way before they could be injured.

Except for Ted. Obviously.

Everything froze for about five seconds and then, quite suddenly, all hell broke loose.

Tiny and Little surged forward, swinging their hefty arms as they tried to grab the princess' before they had the chance to escape. Somehow, both DG and Azkadellia were able to slip past the two of them and just as Azkadellia was skidding to the door leading up from the basement prison, Tiny (who was apparently much more nimble than originally believed) took a flying leap and grabbed her by the ankle. She fell forward with a grunt and whimpered as Tiny's arms slid around her waist.

"Az!" DG screamed from the other side of the jail. She, too, had been caught and, although she was struggling with all her might, couldn't seem to free herself from Little's hold on her. In a last ditch effort, DG grabbed Little's meaty forearm and sunk her teeth in as hard as she could.

Little reared back and loosened his hold on her just enough so that DG could stomp down on his foot, the heel of her strappy sandal digging into the fleshy top of his foot. Little howled painfully and DG landed a well-placed elbow into his ribs. She finally broke away from his grasp and sprinted to the other side of the room where Tiny had Azkadellia thrown over his shoulder. Azkadellia, to her credit, was doing her damndest to tenderize Tiny's ass with her fists.

"Grab my hand!" DG demanded as she ducked under Tiny's outstretched arm.

Tiny pivoted and Azkadellia missed DG's hand inches. "Deege!" Azkadellia cried as Little began advanced on her little sister from behind. "Look out!"

But before DG even had the chance to react to her sister's warning, a brown blob flew past her and knocked into Little's massive chest. Little flew backwards, his head smacking against the wall with a sickening 'thwack' sound.

DG whirled around and came face to face with her savior and blinked. The man had the most shockingly blue eyes she'd ever seen. "Who the hell are you?"

"Wyatt Cain," he replied quickly, pushing her out of danger as another man suddenly appeared on the stairs. The man paused for a fraction of a second to assess the situation before launching himself at Tiny.

"Where-" DG turned to find Cain wrapping a rope around Little's wrists. "What are you doing?"

"The longer he stays incapacitated, the better," Cain explained.

"But how-"

DG spun around as her sister screeched indignantly and burst into laughter. Cain's partner had somehow managed to subdue Tiny while tumbling backwards over the card table, pulling Azkadellia with him as he as fell, and was now laying on his back, spread-eagle, with the princess' face in his crotch and a shocked expression on his face.

"This isn't funny," Azkadellia mumbled as she pushed herself up onto her knees. She shot her most terrifying glare at DG over her shoulder. "Now," she said as regally as possible from her crouched position. "Who are you?"

"Wyatt Cain," Cain reiterated and gestured to the man whose legs Azkadellia was crouched between. "My partner Zero. We were hired to rescue you."

"By who?" DG asked, hands on her hips.

Cain shrugged nonchalantly. "He didn't say his name."

"Well what did he look like?" DG asked. She still wasn't one-hundred percent sure who these guys were and until she was able to find out who they'd been sent by, she could only trust them about as far as she could throw them. "Any identifying features?"

"He had these," Cain frowned and rubbed his knuckles against his sideburns, "muttonchops."

"They're legit," DG said to Azkadellia, who was currently locked in a glaring war with Zero. "Daddy sent them."

"Daddy?" Cain asked.

"Mmhm," DG mumbled. She watched as Azkadellia snubbed Zero's attempt to help her to her feet and then the offended look on her face when he just shrugged and stepped around her.

"Look, this little brawl has been fun and all," Zero said, "but I think we should probably get moving before these guys wake up."

Cain nodded his agreement. "Zero, go check to see if the coast is clear. You two," he gestured to DG and Azkadellia, "follow me."

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	5. Chapter 4

**Title:** Mission Impossible  
**Chapter: **Four  
**Characters/Pairings:** DG/Cain, Az/Zero  
**Spoilers/Warning:** PG-13... so far  
**Summary: **AU. When DG and Az are abducted by a terrorist organization, it's Cain Private Investigations to the rescue.  
**Disclaimer: **Tin Man and all its characters belong to Sci-Fi, RHI Entertainment, NBC Universal Television. The Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum. I'm just doing a bit of borrowing.  
**Author's Note:** Someone gets caught with their pants down... Kinda.

* * *

Really, their escape had been much too easy in the beginning. They'd made it out of the basement jail and had already gotten half-way across the compound when Zero had jinxed the hell out of them by commenting on the lack of obstacles.

One second Azkadellia and Zero had been following behind DG and the next, they were gone. As soon as he realized their absence, Cain had picked up the pace double time (against DG's hissed objections) and before long they'd exited the compound through an unguarded side door whose lock DG was able to jimmy magically. Once out, they'd quickly started south.

"So," DG said slowly, trying to entice Cain into some kind of conversation, as they stepped into the clearing where Esme and Blitz had been left. "You're a Dick?"

"Excuse me?" Cain snapped, whirling around to face her.

"A private investigator," DG said with a chuckle. She smiled at the confused look on his face. "It's an Other Side thing."

"You've been to the Other Side?" Cain asked, interested. He'd always been interested in the Other Side, but as most people couldn't really summon a Travel Storm on their own, it was rather difficult to find anyone who had been there before. Maybe, later, she would answer some of his questions?

DG nodded as Cain helped her over a fallen limb. "My father is from there. We used to go every couple of years when I was younger." She spotted the horses in the clearing and quickly made her way over to them.

"This is Esme," Cain said proudly and wrapped his arm around Esme's neck affectionately. "She's my best girl."

DG grinned and patted Blitz on the snout. "And this little guy?"

"Zero's," Cain told her with a wave of his hand. "Name's Blitz and I'm surprised he's even letting you touch him right now."

Blitz snorted, causing DG to giggle. She was just opening her mouth to ask Cain another question when she heard a shriek and the sound of twigs snapping. Both she and Cain looked up just in time to see Zero running out of the trees, Azkadellia slung over his shoulder fireman style with her emerald green ball-gown bunched around her waist.

"Go!" Zero yelled as he ran towards them, his eyes wide with panic. He tried to look over his shoulder but only succeeded in smashing his face into Azkadellia's backside. He turned back to them and waived frantically with his free arm. "Get on the damn horses!"

Just then, four men carrying pistols and rifles crashed through the trees, hot on Zero's heels. DG's eyes widened and she took a step backwards into Cain's chest. Before she knew what was happening, Cain had mounted Esme and was pulling DG onto the saddle in front of him.

"But what-"

DG's mouth shut as Cain kicked his spurs into Esme's side and the horse jerked into a gallop. As Esme took off, DG watched over her shoulder as Zero unceremoniously dumped her sister onto Blitz's back and then swung into the saddle himself. She heard gunfire and flinched as Cain leaned forward to shield her.

Once they finally reached the city limits, Cain and Zero slowed Esme and Blitz to a stop. They hopped off the horses and, as Zero tried to straighten Azkadellia's dress (she smacked him away the second his hand came in contact with her thigh), Cain interrogated them on what had just happened.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded and stepped right into Zero's very personal bubble.

"It wasn't my fault," Zero defended automatically.

"Yes it was," Azkadellia shot haughtily from her perch atop Blitz. She glared down at him. "We were right behind you until that... That _woman_," Azkadellia spit the word out, "spotted him. I tried to hide, but she spotted me and called me a whore."

"She only called you a whore because your dress is ripped to your thigh," Zero shot back irritably. "Not that I don't

Azkadellia's jaw dropped. "You're the one that ripped it! And stop defending her!"

"No," Zero corrected her. "_You're_ the one who tripped."

"You stepped on it when you pulled me up. "

"I was trying to be helpful. If you would have just let me then none of this would have-"

"Enough!" Cain roared, effectively silencing the two. He took a deep breath while Azkadellia and Zero flashed 'the bird' at each other. "We can't stay in Merryville City tonight. It's not safe."

"We could make that abandoned town by nightfall if we hurry," Zero said, still glaring at Azkadellia even though she had begun picking at her nails as if the whole situation bored her.

"Good idea," Cain said, nodding. "We ride hard and we ride fast until we're a few miles out and then we can give the horses a break." He eyed Azkadellia and Zero warily. "Can I trust you two not to kill each other on the way there?"

"I'll keep my hands to myself," Zero said, sneering.

Azkadellia snorted. "You will if you want to keep them."

* * *

They rode hard over the next few hours and only stopped once to rest the horses at a small pond. While Cain and Zero worked out where they would stay and for how long, DG and Azkadellia had kicked off their shoes and waded into the pond to freshen up a bit.

"So?" DG prompted as she and Azkadellia splashed the warm pond water onto their faces.

Azkadellia glanced at her sister. "What?"

"They seem nice," DG said slowly. She wrung out the bottom of her dress and looked sideways at her sister.

"Mr. Cain seems a little stern. But nice," Azkadellia said with a shrug. "Zero, on the other hand…"

"Oh, why don't you just admit it?" DG chuckled. "You like him."

"I do not," Azkadellia scoffed.

"He's cute Az," DG said.

"Yeah," Azkadellia scowled, "for a filthy, scruffy commoner."

DG raised an eyebrow.

"Really," Azkadellia insisted. "He drives me crazy."

"And you love it." DG crossed her arms and looked at her sister pointedly. "Just admit it."

"I will do no such thing," Azkadellia snapped. She glared at DG for a long moment and then turned on her heel in a huff and stomped out of the water.

DG turned to watch her go and, smirking, began singing quietly, "Az and Zero sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes-"

"Have you two come up with a plan then?" Azkadellia demanded as she stomped up to Cain and Zero. The two men, who had been deep in discussion, looked up from their map and raised their eyebrows at her annoyed expression. Az's hands snapped to her hips as she barked, "Well?"

Cain blinked. "We're only another couple of hours from the town."

"We'll set up in the pub until we've had a chance to scout the rest of the place out," Zero added, sizing her up. "One of our top priorities is to find somewhere you two can wash up."

"That…" Azkadellia frowned. "That's actually kind of sweet of you."

"Well you haven't bathed in, what, five days?" Zero grunted. "Believe me, it's more for our sake than yours."

Azkadellia's eyes narrowed dangerously.

* * *

Zero squirmed in the saddle, trying to decrease the amount of physical contact between him and Azkadellia as much as possible. He could tell himself over and over she was a total bitch, but it didn't change the fact that she was an attractive bitch or that the way her lower back kept lightly bumping his groin as Blitz trotted was giving him a massive hard-on. To make matters worse, every time they had to lean forward to duck under a low lying branch Azkadellia would raise out the saddle slightly and all he could think about was what a perfect position he was in to…

"Who gave you that black eye?" Azkadellia asked, suddenly snapping Zero out of his X-rated daydreams.

"Why?" He smirked on reflex. "Think it's sexy?"

"No," Azkadellia's voice was sugary sweet. "I just wanted to congratulate him on a job well done."

Meanwhile, sexual tension was the last thing on Cain's mind. The plan had been to get out of OFAL's compound quietly and then spend the night in Merryville City. That way they would be able to collect clothing that would fit the princesses (both of them still looked extremely out of place in their ripped ball gowns) and replenish their supplies for the long journey home. But now Cain was sure scouts for OFAL had already been sent out to search the city and its surrounding areas.

And that wasn't the only thing Cain was worried about. Over the past few hours huge, black clouds had been steadily rolling in from the south. If they didn't make it to the abandoned town soon then they would be stuck out in the middle of a major storm and Cain, for one, wasn't looking forward to spending the night in sopping wet clothes.

Cain grunted, attracting DG's attention. She twisted at her mid-section and smiled up at him. "They're fighting again."

"When aren't they fighting?" Cain snorted.

"At least they're entertaining," DG said with a shrug.

"Am I boring you, Kid?" Cain asked mockingly. He pointed at Blitz. "Would you like to ride on _that_ pony with the other children?"

DG giggled. "That's not what I meant."

Cain smile turned into a frown as thunder clapped in the distance. "It's going to storm. We better pick up the pace or we'll get wet."

"That's fine with me," DG told him wistfully. "I love the rain."

"You like to get wet?" Cain asked with raised eyebrows.

DG smirked at him over her shoulder. "Who doesn't?"

"Most people," Cain told her, choosing to ignore the sexual connotation of her words. "And that includes me. You really want to be stuck in soggy clothes all night?"

"I could just run around naked." DG let out a bark of laughter at the shocked look on Cain's face. She sighed and bumped his chest with her shoulder. "I'm just joking Mr. Cain."

"I…" Cain swallowed heavily. Okay, so maybe he felt a little sexual tension now. "I know that."

DG chuckled and rolled her eyes as she turned forward. "Right."

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	6. Chapter 5

**Title:** Mission Impossible  
**Chapter: **Five  
**Characters/Pairings:** DG/Cain, Az/Zero  
**Spoilers/Warning:** PG-13... so far  
**Summary: **AU. When DG and Az are abducted by a terrorist organization, it's Cain Private Investigations to the rescue.  
**Disclaimer: **Tin Man and all its characters belong to Sci-Fi, RHI Entertainment, NBC Universal Television. The Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum. I'm just doing a bit of borrowing.  
**Author's Note:** Fighting leads to flirting and DG explains her magically abilities.

* * *

In the end, DG got her way. They were just outside the abandoned town's limits when they crossed paths with the storm. Cain and Zero had quickly dug their heels into the horse's haunches. Unfortunately, even though they'd made it through the town in record time, all four riders were soaked to the bone when the horses finally trotted up the steps to the pub's covered porch.

Zero was the first to slide off his mount and, after making sure Blitz was secured to the railing, grabbed Azkadelia's hips and pulled her forcefully off the horse. She glared at him once she'd found her footing and, with an annoyed huff, turned on her heel and pushed through the swinging doors leading to the pub's main dining area.

"You sure there are rooms upstairs?" She asked Zero as he followed her into the pub.

Zero shrugged and dropped his pack on one of the messy tables. "We didn't check, but these places always have rooms upstairs." At the look on Azkadelia's face, Zero added, "For private entertainment purposes."

Azkadellia frowned. "Do you think there would be any spare clothing up there?"

"I'm not sure if it's the type of attire a proper princess like yourself would be caught dead in," Zero said and licked his lips. "Not to say it's not the type of attire _I _would mind catching you in."

"In your dreams," Azkadellia snorted. She turned away from Zero and scanned the room, a grim expression on her face. "At least the bar is stocked."

"That's always a plus," DG said as she and Cain stepped into the room. She flinched at the state of the dining area. "Do you know what happened here?"

"Probably a raid on the town. Merryland is notorious for their forceful policing tactics," Cain said. He glanced at DG and then unbuckled the straps on his rucksack and began digging through the contents. A moment later he was pulling a white button-up shirt from the bag. He handed the garment to DG and said, "At least the rain didn't penetrate our supplies. Go ahead and change into this while Zero and I check out the upstairs."

DG smiled her thanks as she took the shirt from him and quickly ducked behind the bar for some sort of privacy. While DG was changing, Azkadellia turned to Zero and looked at him expectantly.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to lend me something dry to wear?" Azkadellia asked and gestured down at the drenched dress sticking uncomfortably to her lean frame.

"Why should I?" Zero scoffed.

Azkadellia didn't even blink as she said, "Because I will make the rest of your life miserable if you don't."

Zero eyed her suspiciously for a moment and, after deciding that she had the resources and the spite to carry through her threat, reached into his bag and threw a light blue striped shirt at her. She smiled curtly and quickly joined her sister on the other side of the bar.

"Go," Cain barked as Zero tried to peer over the top of the bar counter.

Cain gave Zero a forceful push in the opposite direction of the bar and, subsequently, the half naked princesses. The two men picked their way across the large room and slowly ascended the stairs, mindful of the creaks and groans under their feet.

"This doesn't look promising," Zero muttered as he realized scorch marks were becoming increasingly prevalent with each step he took. Finally he reached the top of the stairs and peered around the corner to the attached hallway. He turned to Cain and shook his head.

"Fire?" Cain asked. He ducked his head under the arm Zero had propped against the corner and winced. The whole top floor was a charred mess with only the structural beams still standing. There were a few scorched holes in the ceiling from which rain was leaking into the building and it was pretty obvious they wouldn't find anything of use in the rubble.

"Great," Zero muttered. "What do we do now?"

Cain contemplated the question for a moment or two before replying, "First we get dry. Then, we have a drink."

"So?" DG asked. She and Azkadellia had spread their wet clothing over the tops of a couple of upright tables to dry and both had perched themselves on the edge of the bar counter while they waited for Cain and Zero to return. "Did you find anything?"

"There's nothing up there," Zero answered her as he hopped off the last stair. "There was a fire. Everything's been destroyed."

"So I'm stuck in your shirt for the rest of the night?" Azkadellia asked, horrified, as Zero crossed over to them.

"Well Princess," Zero leered at her as he leaned his elbow against the counter top, "I personally wouldn't have a problem with you taking the shirt off."

DG burst out laughing just as Cain hissed warningly, "Zero."

Azkadellia rolled her eyes and turned to the more mature of her rescuers. "So what's the plan?"

"We stay here for the night and start out at first light." Cain walked around the bar and pulled four glasses and a bottle of whiskey off the shelf. He set the glasses on the counter top and poured a finger's worth into each.

* * *

"You're a lot nicer when you're drunk," Zero muttered. He looked sideways at Azkadellia, who was perched next to him on the edge of the bar, and grinned at the indignant expression on her face. "A lot cuter too."

"Am not," Azkadellia pouted and kicked out at Zero's feet just as they had been doing for the past hour or so. She told him in no uncertain terms, "I'm _always_ cute."

Zero chuckled and nudged her with his shoulder. "If you say so, Princess."

Azkadellia grinned and then lifted her fingers to Zero's bruised eye, "So really, what happened here?"

"Nothing special," Zero said, unconsciously leaning into her touch. "Just got into it with a seven foot tall guildfighter named Ace."

"Really?" Azkadellia asked skeptically.

"No," Zero laughed. "Not really."

Azkadellia raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Cain used to be married to my sister, Adora," Zero explained. "She's been dating a lieutenant in the Royal Guard for the past few months or so. Young; can't be older than twenty-six annuals. He's always _seemed_ like a pretty good guy but I've always had a bad feeling about him."

Azkadellia nodded knowingly.

"So the other night I went to my sister's for dinner and he was there," Zero told her. "Everything was great for a while, but then he got a few drinks in him and started talking shit about Cain."

"Uh oh." Azkadellia grimaced.

"I told him to keep his mouth shut and, when he didn't…" Zero trailed off with a shrug. "He got in a few good shots, obviously." He gestured to his black eye. "But don't tell Cain. I don't want him knowing I go around defending his honor."

Azkadellia giggle. "I won't. Ooh, do you want me to have your sister's boyfriend thrown off the Guard? I can do that, you know."

"I don't think that's necessary," Zero said with a chuckle. They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few moments before Zero nudged Azkadellia with his shoulder. "So Princess, does this mean I've finally removed that stick from your ass?"

Zero's yelp as he was sent to the flying off the bar was heard clearly all the way on the other side of the room where DG and Cain had retreated to earlier in the evening after Zero and Azkadellia's arguing had first started taking a turn to the flirty side. DG giggled as Zero picked himself up off the floor and launched a tickle attack against Az.

"I'm not sure what's worse, the fighting or the flirting." DG said, turning her attention back to the man beside her. "So where was I?"

"Something about not being able to change an object's composition?" Cain suggested. For the past half-hour or so DG had been explaining the reasons why she could neither repair her clothing nor dry them with her magic. It was difficult to follow, but Cain was doing a much better job at grasping the concept than DG herself sometimes could.

"Oh, right." A look of concentration crossed DG's face as she thought about it. "So I can't actually change the composition of a physical object. Like, I can't make it bigger or smaller but I can change the shape something's in. It doesn't really make sense but Tutor says there are all these loopholes in magic. Oh, and I can move tangible objects."

"Any tangible object?" Cain asked, legitimately interested.

DG nodded. "Yep. Well, there are limitations. I can't lift this building."

"So why can't you summon the water from our wet clothes and place it somewhere else?"

"It's not a solid." DG frowned. "Although, Az can displace water. She's a bookworm. Tutor says we would be at the same level if I would stop ditching lessons all the time."

Cain nodded and leaned back against the wall. "What else can you do?"

"I have a magical green thumb," DG said and held her right thumb in the air. "Growing and maintaining all kinds of plants is my specialty. I," she told him dramatically, "am at one with nature."

"That's certainly a good skill to have." Cain smiled at her.

"What about you?" DG asked. "Do you have any special skills I should know about?"

Cain chuckled. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"Doubtful mister Secret Agent Man," DG said with a smirk but decided not to push the issue. It was obvious to her the man was private and didn't want to get all touchy feely with her even if she wouldn't have objected. If there was one thing DG was best at, it was forcing people to open up to her before they even realized what was happening.

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	7. Chapter 6

**Title:** Mission Impossible  
**Chapter:** Six  
**Characters/Pairings:** DG/Cain, Az/Zero  
**Spoilers/Warning:** PG-13... so far  
**Summary: **AU. When DG and Az are abducted by a terrorist organization, it's Cain Private Investigations to the rescue.  
**Disclaimer: **Tin Man and all its characters belong to Sci-Fi, RHI Entertainment, NBC Universal Television. The Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum. I'm just doing a bit of borrowing.  
**Author's Note:** In this chapter we get an accidental booby grab. Hee.

* * *

Zero awoke the following morning with the familiar sensations only a night of heavy drinking and/or a really great left hook could create. His head felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to it and he would give his left nut for a glass of water. There was no way he and Azkadellia had drunk _that_ much last night.

Speaking of his favorite princess; the only thing that _was_ keeping him from rolling over and throwing up all over the floor was the fact that she was snuggled tightly against his chest. Even with the nausea he felt like he could lie with her in his arms forever. Or until she opened that damned mouth of hers, whichever came first.

He was just about to bury his nose deeper in her long brown locks when a steel-toed boot found its way into his kidney. Zero swore and arched forward at the unwelcome contact, his hand flying to his throbbing back. He was glaring when he turned to look up at the culprit and swore, "The fuck, Cain?"

"Well hey there Sunshine." Cain sneered. "I'm glad you had a great time sleeping in, but we've got to get a move on."

Zero frowned at the angry look on Cain's face and glanced at the open door. "It's still dark."

"Get up," Cain barked.

He threw his partner one last look of disgust before turning on his heel and striding out of their hideout to finish preparing Esme. Once he was out of sight Zero turned to Azkadellia. She shrugged at his bewildered expression and, in turn, looked to her sister for some kind of explanation.

"Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the sleeping bag today?" Azkadellia asked with a feint smirk.

DG nodded. "He woke up on _my_ side of the sleeping bag."

Zero raised his eyebrows.

"With his hand on…" DG trailed off with a mischievous grin. She waved her right hand in the air for a moment before trailing her fingers across her chest. The way Zero's jaw dropped caused both princesses to erupt into giggles.

"It's not like he meant to," DG explained with a shrug. "We were asleep and he must have rolled over or something. I tried to tell him it was no big deal but I guess he's still beating himself up about it."

"Well," Zero said slowly, "that was probably the most action he's gotten in two years and he was asleep for it and you're a princess half his age that he swore to protect with his-"

"We get the point Zero," Az thankfully interrupted. She rolled her eyes and held out her hand to DG. "Come on Little Sister, help me up."

The next half-hour or so was spent in an awkward silence while they prepared for their trek across the Shifting Sands. Well, silent to a point. Zero did make random remarks about unnecessary touching (which he was slapped upside the back of the head for) and when DG 'accidentally' rubbed against Cain while pretending to watch him tighten the saddlebags Azkadellia snorted so loudly while trying to cover her laughter that Cain thought she was choking. She _did_ choke when he started pounding on her back, trying to be helpful.

The sun was just beginning to rise when Cain climbed onto Esme's back, trying to keep as much of a distance possible from the young woman in front of him. He nodded at Zero and, with a click of his tongue, spurred Esme into a slow trot. He wanted to put as much distance between them and that damned town as quickly as possible.

"Mr. Cain?"

Cain sighed. He felt horrible about touching DG in a less than virtuous way and the last thing he wanted to do was listen to her give him false forgiveness. Yes, it was an accident but he shouldn't have been that close to her in the first place. It's just… Well, it felt so _good_ to hold a woman in his arms again. And that, more than the actual boob grab, was what was bothering him the most. She was just an innocent woman (_girl really_, he thought) and here he was enjoying the feeling of her nestled against his chest.

"Yeah Kid?"

"I'm sorry about this morning," DG said hesitantly, unknowingly causing Cain to feel even worse.

"No, _I'm_ sorry about this morning," Cain corrected her. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I made you feel uncomfortable." The _on purpose_ was said only in her head. "But I'm really not upset about what happened. It was an accident."

"DG, I made myself uncomfortable. Not you." Cain shook his head. "And it may have been an accident but it was an accident that could have been easily avoided."

"Cain." DG slowly turned to look at him over her shoulder. "I want you to listen to me very carefully, ok? First base is not stealing my virtue and, frankly, I find it a little insulting you would think you're the first one to get there. I'm an attractive girl and, while it hasn't happened very often, I _have_ been felt up before."

"I didn't-"

"Exactly." DG raised her eyebrows pointedly. "Now, drop the attitude." She grinned at him cheekily. "You're scaring Zero."

* * *

"It's hot."

"Shut up Princess."

"But it's hot, Zero," Azkadellia whined. She heard Zero let out an annoyed breath behind her and grinned. So what if they had flirted and cuddled all night long; torturing the man seated behind her brought joy to her otherwise uneventful boring day.

Zero, meanwhile, was glaring at the back of Azkadellia's head, silently spitting curses at her. She'd been complaining about the heat for the last two hours and if she didn't shut up soon he was pretty sure they'd be one princess short upon arrival at Finaqua.

"Didn't you hear me?" Azkadellia moaned, forcing the giggle out of her voice. "I'm _hot_!"

Catching Cain's eye, Zero folded his hand into the shape of a gun, pointed at his temple, and clicked his thumb.

"I think your sister is annoying my partner on purpose," Cain said softly.

DG looked up, startled. After their little talk earlier that morning Cain hadn't said a single word to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary and he'd only answered her lame attempts to engage him in conversation with dismissive grunts. She understood he was still embarrassed but his constant rebuffs were beginning to irritate her.

"I think you're right," DG said with a smile as she watched Zero lift up his hands and throttle the air around Azkadellia's neck.

After a moment, Cain chuckled. "They remind me of Jeb and the little Ryder girl in his class."

"Jeb?" DG asked curiously.

"My son," Cain answered. "He's twelve. He had his first crush a few months back."

"Ah," DG giggled. She leaned back against Cain's chest and then tilted her head backwards so she could look up at him. "The phenomenon known as the playground crush."

"Exactly." Cain looked down at DG and smirked. "There's bound to be hair pulling soon."

"She'd probably like that," DG said. She flashed Cain an impish grin before sitting up in the saddle, thus causing her to miss the way Cain's jaw dropped stupidly when she added, "I know I sure would."

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	8. Chapter 7

**Title:** Mission Impossible  
**Chapter: **Seven  
**Characters/Pairings:** DG/Cain, Az/Zero  
**Spoilers/Warning:** PG-13... so far  
**Summary: **AU. When DG and Az are abducted by a terrorist organization, it's Cain Private Investigations to the rescue.  
**Disclaimer: **Tin Man and all its characters belong to Sci-Fi, RHI Entertainment, NBC Universal Television. The Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum. I'm just doing a bit of borrowing.  
**Author's Note: **It's showdown time.

* * *

They were actually very lucky when it came to traversing the Shifting Sands. Besides Azkadellia's constant attempts at annoying Zero and the multiple times he'd nearly announced his intentions to slide off the back of Blitz and lay in the sand until death overtook him (because a slow, painful death seemed almost pleasurable compared to Azkadellia's continuous whining), they never really ran into any obstacles. They did catch the beginning of a sand storm but were lucky enough to redirect their course in enough time to miss the brunt of the whipping wind and there was that Desert Coyote that spooked Esme so much that she nearly bucked Cain and DG right off her back, but it could have been much worse. Overall, it took them six hours to get across the desert – not a bad travel time, really, when you consider one of them was very open to: A) the murder of a public figurehead, or B) death by sand.

It was still light when they'd finally crossed over into the dense woodlands of Munchkin Territory. Cain had been delighted that they'd be able to fit in a few extra hours of travel and by the time the suns set they'd gotten in an extra dozen miles or so closer to Finaqua.

"Aren't you supposed to blow on it?" Azkadellia asked, circling Zero as he tried to start a campfire. So far, the man had only been able to create a few sparks in his pursuit of fire and he was growing more and more frustrated by the second.

"You think you could do better?" Zero asked hotly, settling back on his haunches. He looked up at Azkadellia expectantly.

"Sure," Azkadellia said simply and kneeled down in front of the pile of sticks Zero had compiled.

"Don't worry," DG, who had settled herself on a downed log, nodded at Az as she whispered into Cain's ear, "she's a professional."

Cain frowned at the way his body responded to her breath tickling his earlobe. It was if he'd suddenly been zapped and the electrical currents were running up and down his spine. Really? How had DG gone from being a sweet little princess in need of saving to beautiful young woman he wouldn't mind being less than virtuous with over the course of two days?

_When I get home,_ Cain thought, _I've gotta get laid._

"Sweet Lurline," he muttered after he'd regained some of his senses. He watched as Azkadellia stretched forward like a cat, her elbows skimming the dirt and he butt still in high in the air, and began mumbling something to the tiny little embers Zero had been able to spark. Speaking of Zero - Cain's eyes slid to his partner. The younger man was staring quite unabashedly at the elder princess with what could only be described as pure animalistic lust. Actually, Cain was almost proud of the other man for not jumping the seductress right then and there.

"She's teasing him," DG whispered breathily, knowing full well she was doing the same with Cain.

Cain sucked in sharply. "Well she's doing a pretty damn good job of it."

DG nodded at Azkadellia. "Just wait."

"Wha-"

But Cain's sentence was cut short when those tiny, little sparks Zero had managed suddenly erupted into great, big orange flames. Azkadellia pulled herself back from the fire, a satisfied smirk on her face, as Cain turned to DG, dumbfounded.

"I told you she's a bookworm," DG said with a shrug. "Most of those with magical capabilities are only able to master one element in their lifetime. She's got fire down and has started studying water." DG held up her thumb. "Remember my green thumb?"

"You specialize in earth?" Cain asked, turning his attention from Azkadellia and Zero's antics to the woman sitting unnecessarily close to him.

DG nodded happily and said, "And Az is a pyro."

* * *

Things went downhill pretty quickly after that. One second Azkadellia had been gloating to Zero about her firepower and the next she was being dragged backwards into the forest, a strong hand held over her mouth to prevent her from screaming.

For a few moments all of them froze, too shocked by Azkadellia's sudden disappearance to move a muscle. Zero was the first to recover and, before DG or Cain could move a muscle, he was crashing through the woods in hot pursuit. DG, ever the friend to one in need, was on her feet next and would have been right behind Zero if Cain hadn't grabbed her by the wrist and wrenched her backwards.

"What are you doing?" DG screeched, eyes wild. "We have to get my sister."

"No," Cain barked. "No, DG."

"But-"

"No!" Cain clamped his hands down on DG's shoulders to keep her from running off. "Let Zero handle it for now. We need to find out how many-"

But Cain was interrupted when gunshots suddenly rang out from somewhere deep in the forest. DG used Cain's millisecond of distraction to wiggle out of his grasp and dart into the trees. She paused a few yards to listen and nearly jumped out of her own skin when Cain grabbed her from behind.

"I told you to let Zero handle it," Cain hissed. She opened her mouth to retort but Cain quickly waved his hand in the air to silence her. After a few seconds, he nodded to their left and whispered, "Twenty yards that way. Keep quiet and, for Lurline's sake, don't go playing the hero."

DG nodded, eyes wide, as Cain motioned for her to follow him. They travelled slowly at first, still trying to get the direction they needed to go in figured out, until a shrill scream suddenly pierced the silence. DG paused and frowned. That was most definitely not her sister's scream. In fact – it had an almost masculine quality to it.

She didn't dwell on it as shots suddenly rang out again, however, and, within seconds, DG and Cain suddenly stumbled onto a small clearing. DG gulped as she took in the scene before her. Directly in front of her, two bodies lay unmoving on the ground. The young princess almost sighed in relief when she realized neither of those bodies were those of her sister or Zero. But then, she looked to her left and gulped. There stood Azkadellia and her captor; one hand still firmly planted on Askadellia's mouth and the other holding a large hunting knife securely against her throat.

"Steady Princess," Cain whispered at her sideways and stepped forward a little to shield her from the scene unfolding to the near right of them.

Zero had, obviously, done a wonderful job in impeding the small company of OFAL men (as the two dead bodies could attest to) and had overpowered the terrified third man onto his knees in front of him. He had one hand around the back of the man's head and the other wrapped solidly around his chin. Zero glanced at Azkadellia and then, with one sift jerk, broke the man's neck with a sickening crack.

"Stand down," the fourth, and last, OFAL member spat as Zero stepped over the broken body of his comrade and began advancing on him. "Stand down or I slit her throat."

DG tried to move forward, but Cain grabbed her forearm and whispered, "Don't move."

"He's going to get her killed," DG hissed.

"Trust him," Cain said. "Trust _me_."

DG nodded solemnly just as the OFAL member holding Az yelled at Zero, "I said stand down!"

Zero ignored the man's commands and continued to advance, his gun poised and ready to shoot. The OFAL member unconsciously tightened his grip on Azkadellia, the knife cutting into her throat enough to draw blood. Unfortunately for him, the sight of Azkadellia's blood only served to anger Zero more and, just as the man was yelling (again) for him to stand down, Zero squeezed the trigger on his gun and put two bullets between the man's eyes. As he crumpled to the ground, Zero grabbed Azkadellia by the waist and pulled her to his chest protectively.

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	9. Chapter 8

**Title:** Mission Impossible  
**Chapter: **Eight  
**Characters/Pairings:** DG/Cain, Az/Zero  
**Spoilers/Warning:** PG-13... so far  
**Summary: **AU. When DG and Az are abducted by a terrorist organization, it's Cain Private Investigations to the rescue.  
**Disclaimer: **Tin Man and all its characters belong to Sci-Fi, RHI Entertainment, NBC Universal Television. The Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum. I'm just doing a bit of borrowing.

****Author's Note: ****This is NOT a new chapter**. I wasn't happy with some of the earlier chapters and decided to do a little rewriting. There are a few changes to every chapter, though not many for the Prologue – Chapter 2. **CHAPTER 3 (#4) IS BRAND NEW**, so check it out. From the new chapter (3) onward, there are a few more changes. My suggestion… Reread the whole thing to make sure you don't miss anything.

* * *

_Something's out there_, Zero thought as he splashed the cool pond-water over his left shoulder. He eyed the bush he thought he heard the noise coming from warily while trying to continue bathing in the pond as normally as possible. If it was another OFAL scout, the last thing Zero wanted was for the other man to realize he'd been spotted. Especially since five of his possible comrades had been dropped and left for the vultures just a few hours before.

The bush giggled and-

_Wait a minute, _Zero's eyebrows knitted suspiciously, _bushes don't giggle._

"Deege!"

_And they sure as hell don't screech_, Zero thought, wincing at the pitch of Azkadellia's indignant squawk.

A second later DG's head suddenly popped up over the top of the bush. "Hey Zero," she said, embarrassed, and waived at him while a blush quickly crept up her neck and across her cheeks. Zero (who couldn't decide whether to laugh or back away slowly) waived back at her very slowly. After a few seconds of awkward waiving, DG clicked her tongue and yelped, "Well bye."

Zero stared stupidly after DG as she hurried off towards their campsite. Confused, he turned his attention back to the bush he knew Azkadellia to be hiding behind and then smirked when Azkadellia slowly peaked out from the side of the bush.

"Hey there Sneaky," Zero called out to her. "Whatcha doing?"

"I was…" The princess trailed off with a frown. How the hell was she supposed to tell him that she'd been spying on his bath? Or that she'd been fantasizing quite vividly about joining him when her sister had unexpectedly (and annoyingly) barged in on her stakeout? "Er…"

Zero's smirk widened as he watched his favorite princess fidget nervously. Especially, he realized, when she wasn't wearing any pants. "You've been watching me, haven't you?" He spread his hands out in front of him smugly. "Like what you see?"

Azkadellia's hands suddenly stopped fidgeting and her eyes narrowed. So he wanted to play it that way, huh? Fine. She'd play her part and by the time she was through with him, Zero would be nothing more than a pile of mush in the palm of her hand.

"I… I'm sorry," Azkadellia stuttered softly and began consciously fidgeting with mock nervousness. She slowly took a few steps towards him. "I shouldn't have spied on you. It's just…" She reached the edge of the pond and mentally damned her inability to blush on cue. She settled for a coy smile instead. "You know."

"No," Zero pursed his lips, "I don't. Enlighten me."

"You're just so strong," Azkadellia sighed, her eyes dropping to Zero's naked torso. "And you're so sure of yourself." Azkadellia softly nibbled on her bottom lip and glanced up at Zero through her eyelashes. "It's just so… Well," she really did blush, "sexy."

Zero licked his bottom lip and eyed Azkadellia.

"It makes me…" Azkadellia sighed lustily as she stepped into the pond. She slowly waded through the water, her eyes never leaving Zero's as she slowly began unbuttoning the button-down shirt she'd borrowed from him during the thunderstorm a few days ago.

When the shirt fell away, so did the smirk on Zero's face.

Once she'd bridged the remaining gap between them, Azkadellia ran her finger down Zero's chest and whispered, her lips mere inches away from his, "…so hot."

* * *

DG sighed heavily as she slumped down on the log beside Cain. The detective acknowledged her appearance with a slight nod and continued to stoke the fire he'd been tending to since Azkadellia had set it a little while before. "Find your sister?" Cain asked.

"Sure did," DG told him as she leaned forward towards the fire.

"Well?" Cain turned to her and raised an eyebrow curiously. "She ok?"

"Yep," DG said without looking at him.

"Where is she?"

"With Zero," DG said slowly and Cain frowned. "In the pond."

"Damnit," Cain mumbled angrily. He threw the stick he'd been using to tend the fire down on the ground and rocked forward to stand. He knew, _knew_, his partner would take this little game he and the eldest princess were playing too far. It's not like Cain didn't know what it was like to lust after someone. He did. And, since Merryland at least, he even knew what it was like to lust after a princess. A much younger, incredibly beautiful, princess that just happened to have her hand wound tightly around his wrist.

"Oh come on Cain." DG smiled indulgently. "Let them have fun while they still can."

Cain hesitated a second, still ready to grab Zero and shake the hell out of him for fucking this mission over, and then sat back down beside DG. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, she's the future queen of the O.Z." DG shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if our parents have chosen her husband by the time we get back."

"You don't get to choose your husband?" Cain asked, feeling oddly upset over the revelation.

"_I_ get to choose my husband," DG grinned and gestured to herself with her hands. "I'm the spare, remember?"

"Yeah, but he'd have to be some pompous noble," Cain grunted.

"Do you know me at all?" DG exclaimed with a giggle. "Do I really seem like the type to settle down? With a _noble_?"

Cain laughed at the look of dramatic disgust on DG's face and said, "No, I guess you're right. So, _Spare_, what will you do once your sister takes the throne?"

DG shrugged again. "Az told me she plans to send me off as an ambassador. That way I can travel and see the world." She frowned. "I'll miss her though."

Cain decided it was time to change the subject. "Are you excited to get home?"

"Sure," DG said. "I'm sure my parents are going crazy right now. And I can't wait to sleep in a real bed again." She dropped her gaze to the fire. "I'll miss you though."

"Me?" Cain chuckled. "And why is that, Kid?"

"'Cause Mr. Cain," DG answered softly. She reached her hand to Cain's face and smiled as her fingers traced the outline of his ear, along his jaw-line, and down to his chin. DG licked her lips nervously and said, "I like you."

Cain's eyes widened and then drifted shut as DG pressed her lips against his. _Oh._


End file.
